Setting up Google Drive as the Default Folder when Saving on Windows

About

After setting up Google Drive on your Windows device, in order to have files be saved to Google Drive by default you must first change the settings on your computer.

You will also need to change the default Save location for your Microsoft Office files so that anything you create using Word, PowerPoint, or Excel will automatically be saved in your Google Drive folder.

Environment

Drive File Stream or Backup and Sync

Windows

Google Chrome

Microsoft Office

Steps

To change the default save location in Google Chrome:

1. Navigate to the settings option by selecting Settings in the menu button in the top right of Chrome.
2. Scroll all the way down and select Advanced to see additional settings.
3. Continue scrolling until you see the Downloads tab.
4. There you can select Change where you will be able to select your desired folder. Now you can locate the Google Drive folder.

To change the default save location in Word:

1. First, you must open a new document in Word and select File and then Option. There you must select Advanced and scroll down until you reach General. You will then select File Location.
2. Once you select File Locations, you will make sure Documents is highlighted and select Modify.
3. After selecting Modify, locate the Google Drive (either File Stream or Backup and Sync) folder and select it. Then you can select OK. 
4. Now that you are done, select OK for any other windows and exit Word. It should now by default save to Google Drive.

To change the default save location in Excel:

1. First create a new Excel worksheet. Then select File and then Options. After selecting Options, select Save.
2. Note that you must enter the location address of Google Drive on your computer. For example, for your PC it may be "G:\My Drive". However it may differ for you if you have multiple hard drives installed. To check your Google Drive address, navigate to File Explorer and select This PC. Select the Google Drive folder and navigate to where you wish to save the worksheets. At the top of the screen, right click and select edit address. You can copy this address and paste it into the default file location in Excel Save settings. 
3. Select OK and you should be done now.

To change the default save location for Powerpoint:

1. First you must open a new Powerpoint presentation. There you will select File and then Options. Once there, you will select Save. 
2. Here you must again manually enter the address of the new default address that you found before.
3. Once you have entered the address, you can then select OK. 
4. Now, Powerpoint will save to the default Google Drive location.

For more help, please contact ITS at its@manhattan.edu or 718-862-7973.